Nex2us

Nex2us exposes students to diverse cultures and communities through an online platform and student-centric approach to develop their empathy, cultural intelligence, and decision-making skills.

Most students grow up in homogeneous schools receiving little exposure to people who are different from them, and rarely have opportunities to travel. Social media confirms rather than challenges their perspectives. Thus, our society reflects a lack of empathy for "others". In a global world, this fuels animosity and conflict. “The need for students to be able to empathize with others, value diverse perspectives and cultures, understand how events around the world are interconnected, and solve problems that transcend borders has never been greater” (Tichnor-Wagner, 2016). The attitudes, beliefs, and values teens develop remain with them for life (Brighton, 2007).

If we expose students to other cultures, then they will understand their own culture and other cultures better, building their empathy and understanding of people who are different from them. 

We surveyed 16 teachers across 4 countries and learned teachers face challenges in the classroom related to culture, race and ethnicity. Most teachers said they struggle to engage their students in conversations about diversity, and expressed they would like their students to connect with classrooms that are demographically different. We piloted with four different schools and students have expressed great interest to connect with students around the world through images.

Middle and high school students (13-18 yrs) and teachers will benefit from our solution. Nex2us will be delivered primarily online and through face-to-face trainings for teachers. We only require one device and an internet connection with the potential to impact 1 million students in 50,000 classrooms around the world. 

Track down usage through online forms - 75% of students from our pilot continue using Nex2us at least a 2nd time

Track down through online feedback forms - 75% of students have reported they 1) Are more motivated to learn about other cultures after their Nex2us experience 2) Feel more empathetic and understanding toward people from different cultures 3) Are motivated to share their community and culture

Track down student interactions through online forms - Nex2us has exposed 100 students to 10 different cultures and perspectives through 10 Nex2us interactions in year 1

Youth love social media and it is something that has quickly become a ordinary thing as they engage daily on instagram, snapchat, and twitter. However, current social media connects us with those we already know and those within our existing social groups. Nex2us connects students across cultural and geographical boundaries, allowing them to learn about the lives of those past their own circles. Our solution puts students in the driver’s seat of these interactions as they issue challenges to other student groups to share more about their lives and cultures.

Through the interviews we’ve conducted, we’ve learned that students are curious, open, and eager to learn more about others that are different from them, down to the details of their lives, including what they eat for breakfast or how they decorate their bedrooms. Nex2us provides these opportunities student to student to learn and get to know those from other cultures. We’ve also learned that teachers are desperate for a way to talk to their students about issues of diversity and identity, and we’ve created a solution that puts the power in the hands of the students to lead those discussions.

Students will be able to access Nex2us content at any time, but the Nex2us experience is designed specifically for the group experience that can take place in the classroom or an after-school group or club. Access to technology is a requirement, but each classroom or group needs just one device and an internet connection to use Nex2us.

Year 1: 2017 As a nonprofit, ideally our platform will launch with seed funding in year one. We are seeking $150,000 to support our platform development and other expenses in year one.

Year 2: 2018 As we expand in year two, we plan to facilitate workshops for teachers using an empathy and critical thinking curriculum. We will charge schools for these workshops or get state funding to support schools that cannot afford this. We will need to provide workshops to at least 500 teachers in year two ($150 per teacher for a total of $75,000) in order to become self-sustainable.

We are committed to provide Nex2us to teachers for free and this could limit our ability to succeed since some edtech products end up not being adopted by schools and not as used when schools don't have accountability. Another factor is receiving funding from grants and/or investors. We need to ensure they will have a return on investment. We have been taking steps to make schools accountable and design a product with an ROI. 

We’ve identified a real problem in the world -- and we recognize the world is feeling the consequences for NOT solving it. We are impassioned by the approach Solve takes, focusing on human-centered design and an optimism that solutions are possible. We believe this, and by becoming Solvers, we hope to strengthen our capacity and ability to bring Nex2us to a wide group of classrooms and student groups for a more understanding world.

In search for partners!

PenPal Schools

OneWorld Classrooms

Generation Global

Out of Eden Learn